Persuasion: Towards a calculus of influence in livestock research for development
Capacity Strengthening / Communications / Directorate / Event Report / ILRI / ILRIComms / Knowledge and Information / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Spotlight

Persuasion: Towards a calculus of influence in livestock research for development

In November last year (2015), a group of livestock-related communications professionals from non-governmental, regional and international institutions met for 2.5 days in Addis Ababa to begin to think through ‘advocacy-oriented’ kinds of communications to support sustainable livestock development in poor countries worldwide. Continue reading

Some of ILRI’s top livestock slide presentations in 2015
Agri-Health / Animal Breeding / Animal Diseases / Animal Feeding / Capacity Strengthening / Climate Change / Communications / Environment / Feeds / Food Safety / Food Security / Human Health / ILRI / Knowledge and Information / Nutrition / Pastoralism / Policy / Presentation / Pro-Poor Livestock / Spotlight

Some of ILRI’s top livestock slide presentations in 2015

A few of the top livestock slide presentations made by ILRI staff in 2015 Continue reading

Foods available to African farm households increase with market access and off-farm work
Africa / Animal Production / Article / CCAFS / Consumption / Food Security / HUMIDTROPICS / ILRI / Livelihoods / Livestock / LIVESTOCKFISH / Markets / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / SLS / Spotlight

Foods available to African farm households increase with market access and off-farm work

Common foods of Khulungira village, in central Malawi: Nsomba zophika (fish stew), chimanga chophika (boiled maize), nyemba zophika (mixed beans with salt and oil), bowa wofutsa (dried mushrooms with ground groundnuts), nkhwani wophatikiza ndi maungu anthete ndi kachewere wophika (pumpkin leaves, pumpkin blossoms and potatoes) and mazira ophika ndi phwetekere, anyezi, mafuta ndi mchere (boiled … Continue reading

Tanzania’s ‘Livestock Master Plan’ kicks off with a one-year training program for government officials
Animal Feeding / Animal Production / Animal Products / ASSP / Capacity Strengthening / Dairying / East Africa / Event / ILRI / Launch / LIVESTOCKFISH / Pro-Poor Livestock / Southern Africa / Spotlight / Tanzania

Tanzania’s ‘Livestock Master Plan’ kicks off with a one-year training program for government officials

Eight staff from Tanzania’s Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development are undergoing a 14-month training and planning program assisted by experts from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Continue reading

Can we eat meat and still reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
Animal Products / CCAFS / CGIAR / Consumption / Environment / Food Security / ILRI / Livestock / Mazingira / Opinion Piece / Pro-Poor Livestock / SLS / Spotlight

Can we eat meat and still reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

Cattle and figures, Laas Geel cave complex, Somaliland, Somalia. This opinion piece is written by Alain Vidal, director of strategic partnerships at CGIAR. Our global food production system—which includes, in addition to crop farming, raising livestock and deforesting lands to grow livestock feed and other crops—is responsible for about a quarter of the greenhouse gases produced … Continue reading

A couple of  ‘missings’ for the Paris climate talks
CCAFS / Climate Change / Communications / Consumption / Directorate / Environment / Human Health / ILRI / ILRIComms / Livestock / Opinion Piece / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / SLS / Spotlight

A couple of ‘missings’ for the Paris climate talks

In the days leading up to the start of the climate change talks in Paris (COP21) this week (30 Nov–11 Dec 2015), we at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) have been busy responding to recent articles in the press advocating that ‘the world’ eat less meat to reduce greenhouse gases and other livestock ‘bads’. … Continue reading

Climate-smart livestock farming in developing countries is boosted by a £10-million research award
Africa / Agriculture / Animal Breeding / Article / Award / Biodiversity / Biotechnology / Breeds / Cattle / Chickens / Climate Change / CTLGH / Directorate / Genetics / Goats / ILRI / Indigenous Breeds / LiveGene / LIVESTOCKFISH / Pro-Poor Livestock / Project / Research / Sheep / Small Ruminants / Spotlight / UK

Climate-smart livestock farming in developing countries is boosted by a £10-million research award

Researchers at the Roslin Institute will be using funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to investigate how genetic information can improve the health and productivity of farmed animals in tropical climates, which is a proven approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health is an alliance between the Institute at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and the Africa-headquartered International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). The partner institutions are making additional contributions with a value of £10 million to support the initiative over the next five years. Continue reading

Mixing it up—The information ‘black hole’ on crop+animal recipes for climate-smart and climate-resilient farms
Africa / Agriculture / Article / CCAFS / Climate Change / Crop-Livestock / Farming Systems / Food Security / ILRI / Opinion Piece / Pro-Poor Livestock / Research / SLS / Spotlight / Vulnerability

Mixing it up—The information ‘black hole’ on crop+animal recipes for climate-smart and climate-resilient farms

We are unaware of any comprehensive studies undertaken in sub-Saharan Africa to explore how mixed farms will be affected by climate change and the cost and benefits of different adaptation options. Underestimating the importance of livestock in the mixed’ smallholder farming systems that are ubiquitous across the developing world weakens both emissions reduction and climate change adaptation efforts. Continue reading

‘Soft’ science at ILRAD/ILRI: A lively look back at three decades of veterinary epidemiology for development
A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Diseases / ASF / Bird flu / Brucellosis / CBPP / CSF / Diagnostics / Disease Control / ECF / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / FSZ / ILRI / ILRI40 / PPR / Pro-Poor Livestock / Report / Research / RVF / Spotlight / Trade / Trypanosomiasis / Vaccines / Zoonotic Diseases

‘Soft’ science at ILRAD/ILRI: A lively look back at three decades of veterinary epidemiology for development

For almost thirty years, the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD) then ILRI benefited from a strong research program in the epidemiological sciences. Over time, it progressively broadened its coverage in disease, disciplinary and geographic terms. The results of this work have now been assembled in this impact narrative, which carefully documents the wide range of issues addressed by the teams of researchers, and presents them in an illustrated and highly readable format. Continue reading

It’s showtime: ILRI’s series of ‘Hard Talk’ science interviews by Brian Perry
Film and Video / ILRI / Interview / Participation / Pro-Poor Livestock

It’s showtime: ILRI’s series of ‘Hard Talk’ science interviews by Brian Perry

Brian Perry (left) interviews Mario Herrero in a ‘hard talk’ series at ILRI’s annual program meeting in 2006 in Nairobi (photo credit: ILRI). Several years ago, staff of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) innovated ways to enliven their annual program meetings (aka, death by research powerpoint). One of the ways ILRI shook things up … Continue reading